


Stealing bases

by giiovz



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball
Genre: Baseball, Comfort, Crossover Pairings, Developing Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Love, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-12
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-01 06:56:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5196506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giiovz/pseuds/giiovz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After her marriage crumbles, Usagi Tsukino returns to her hometown as a single mom to start their lives over. What she doesn't expect is for her son's second grade class activity to have such a big impact on their lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Starting over

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I should be updating stories not posting new ones....But I watched this silly movie the other day, and I couldn't get this idea out of my head. Sorry, not sorry.But I hope you like it.  
> So, this chapter is just going to be like the basic idea of the whole story.  
> Please let me know what you think, and if you see any mistakes -need I remind you, English is my second language,
> 
> Also, I don't own any of the characters you can recognize.  
> Story based on some silly movie, but I don't know the name. Please don't sue me for not giving proper credit.

Shortly after turning 19, Usagi Tsukino married the love of her life. She had everything she could dream of and more; a handsome, caring and successful husband, a lovely, two-story white house just outside of Boston. But most importantly, she had two beautiful babies: Dorian and her little girl, Usagi. Truly, she had the perfect life; everything was exactly like she dreamed it would be, and she could only hope things would continue to get better.

Until, of course, she found out Mamoru was sleeping with Beryl, his secretary. Her fairytale marriage ended and feeling humiliated and defeated, she decided to pack her bags, take her eight year old boy and her 18-month baby girl and headed back to her hometown, to the loving arms of her beloved sister, Minako, the only family she had left.

Gateway City, located in eastern Southern California and just a few miles away from the Orange Air Force Base. Growing up, Usagi and Minako, along with most of the girls at their school, knew they would eventually end up being Military Wives. Only Usagi ended up marrying the first and only guy she ever dated: Mamoru Chiba. The Chiba family was one of the richest, most influential families in Gateway City, so of course it was expected of their only son to get married and start a family so the Chiba family line would continue. It took Usagi almost 8 years to realize he never loved her, and he only used her to his advantage.

 

* * *

 

“You guys are finally here!” Minako shouted from the porch of her house, beneath the glittery, hand-painted paper banner welcoming her long absent family.

During his parents’ divorce, Dorian called, wrote and video chat with his aunt Minako all the time. It helped her ease the lonesomeness she felt in that big home, and it helped him cope with the idea of not having his dad around anymore. He even consulted with Aunt Mina about that one time he saw his dad with the redhead girl from his office, and when he realized his dad wasn’t really a nice guy and would always make mom cry. When his mom told him about moving to California, immediately after the divorce, little Dorian insisted on changing his last name to his mom’s.

Usagi took her baby out of the car seat and joined her sister and son on the porch. “You didn’t have to make such a big deal about this,” she smiled, carefully adjusting little Usagi on her hip.

“You know, it wasn’t all me,” her sister shrugged her shoulders “Ikuko helped. She even insisted on making a special dinner just for you two.”

“I will have to thank her then,” Usagi said as they entered the house. It seemed like nothing hadn’t changed much in the eight years she was gone. Except for the color of the walls, everything seemed exactly like she remembered it. The explosive floral pattern on the furniture, the one her mother picked years ago when they were having a big Christmas party. The beautiful wall size portrait painting of her parents still hung by the stairs.

Minako and Ikuko, her housekeeper, had made a few changes to the upper floor bedrooms. Especially to the two rooms Usagi and her babies were going to stay in. Dorian was going to stay at Usagi’s old bedroom, and Usagi and the baby would stay at the guest room –since they needed a lot more room for the both of them.

“You need help unpacking your things, Dorian?” Minako asked, opening the door to his new bedroom.

“It’s pink,” he said, a disgusted look on his face at the sight in front of him.

His mom couldn’t help but laugh softly “I promise we can paint it blue if you want,” she smiled, adjusting her baby to her hip once again “does that sound okay?”

“I guess,” Dorian sighed as he made his way to the bed, so he could start unpacking and setting up his room.

“You can stay over here,” Minako said, pointing to another bedroom. She helped her sister set up the room, as they discussed what was next in Usagi’s new life.

“You remember Miss Kino?” Usagi asked. She sat on the bed and started bouncing her baby softly on her knee.

“Of course, she was mom’s best friend,” Minako said with a halfhearted smile. “But she’s Mrs. Furuhata now.”

“You’re right,” Usagi smiled “I’m glad she finally married him, they were such a cute couple.”

“They still are,” her sister said, sitting on the bed next to her “so what about her?”

“There was an opening at her bakery,” Usagi smiled. “I got the job.”

“Wait, you’re serious?” Minako furrowed her brows. “No offence, sis, but you can’t bake.”

“That’s why I’m going to be in charge of the counter. You know, boxing up the cakes, selling them and taking phone orders,” she shrugged her shoulders. “It shouldn’t be that hard.”

“You’re right. That’s excellent, I’m happy for you,” Minako said. “But what about Dorian?”

“I got the morning shift, 8:00am to 3:00 pm. I’ll be off in time when Dorian gets home from school. She knows about my _situation,_ ” she sighed.

“That’s great, Usa,” Mina said. “Everything is going to work out for you here, just wait.”

“I hope you’re right,” Usagi sighed. “At least we don’t have to worry about Mamoru now. And I highly doubt he’ll bother visiting his children,” she added.

“How is Dorian going to take it?”

“Well, he called to let him know we got here safely,” Usagi said. “It sent him straight to voice mail.”

“Why am I now surprised?” Minako grunted. “I swear, one of these days I’m gonna kill him!”

 

* * *

 

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Usagi asked as she was putting him to bed.

Dorian looked up at his mom, tears in his eyes. “I’m going to miss my friends.”

“I know, sweetheart,” she said, carefully sitting on the bed. “But you’ll make new friends, and everything will be alright. I promise.”

“It’s not the same.”

Usagi sighed dejectedly. “Changes can be hard, I know, but life can’t always be easy. Sometimes we have to go through hard times to appreciate all the blessing we have.”

Dorian nodded weakly, looking down to avoid his mother’s gaze. “Will daddy stop loving me?”

“Of course not,” Usagi said. “Don’t ever think that, sweetheart. Your father will always love you. He’s just busy with all the work he has to do, but he’ll visit,” she half lied.

Her son didn’t say anything anymore, and Usagi gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. “Get some sleep, sweetheart,” she said softly. “We’ll go to your new school tomorrow and check that everything is ready for you before the beginning of classes next week.”

“But what if the other kids don’t like me?” Dorian asked nervously.

“Why would you say that?” Usagi shook her head. “They’ll see how cool you are, and you’ll make tons of friends.”

“No, I won’t.”

“You will, don’t worry about it,” she got up from the bed. “Now, try to get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, mom.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Usagi said, turning off the light of his bedroom. “I love you.”

 

* * *

 

The day finally arrived, and once they stopped in front of the big school building, Usagi turned around to face him. “You’re okay?” she asked.

“I don’t think I’ll make any new friends.”

“Of course you will,” she smiled. “Come on; let’s go meet your teacher. You don’t want to be late on your first day,” she added, opening the door to get out of the car.

 

* * *

 

“Everyone, we have a new student joining us today,” his teacher said. “I’d like you to meet Dorian Tsukino, he just moved here from Boston so I want you all to be nice to him.”

Dorian looked around the room nervously as his new teacher introduced him to the class.

“Alright, Dorian,” she said. “You can sit over here,” she pointed to an empty seat near the window. “I already ordered your books; you should be getting them soon.”

“Thank you,” he said quietly, taking his assigned seat.

“Okay everyone, did you all have a good break?” the teacher asked.

“Yes,” the class responded in unison.

“I’m glad you did,” she smiled, and then began with the lecture.

Dorian was too nervous to even try to make any friends before recess, he honestly just wanted to go back home to his old friends. During recess here, the other kids were playing baseball and while he loved baseball, he was not very good at it. His dad was always too busy to help him practice and his mom would always do a lousy job when she tried to teach him some of the fundaments of baseball.

When recess was over, they headed back to their classroom.

Their teacher started passing out small index cards. “We’re doing something new today, does anyone know which military base is nearby?” she asked.

One of the kids raised his hand. “The Orange Air Force Base,” he said once the teacher pointed at him.

“That’s right, very good, Timmy,” she nodded, passing out the index cards to the rest of the students. “We’re going to be writing to our wonderful men and women who serve our country and are stationed here at Orange Air Force Base. Each of you will be given an index card with a name and rank of the airmen you’re going to be writing to. Right now our airmen are in Ethiopia,” she said, pointing at a specific point in the big map next to the board. “Right here, here is Ethiopia,” she continued. “They are on a peace mission helping to keep everyone calm. Now, keep in mind that these men and women have been away from their families for a long time. Why don’t we try to brighten their days with nice words and pictures?”

Writing a letter was no easy task for a second grade class. But Dorian knew he was going to try his best. He looked down at the index card on his hands. “Captain Trunks Briefs, Helicopter Pilot,” he read, wrinkling his nose. He took a deep breath and in his best handwriting he began to write his letter.

_Dear Captain Briefs,_

_My name is Dorian Tsukino, I am in the second grade at Gateway Elementary School. My teacher wanted our class to write to the airmen from the Orange Air Force Base, which I think it’s really close to where I live now. I used to live in Boston, Massachusetts, and just moved here with my mom and my baby sister. My dad is not around anymore, but I really don’t mind it. He was never around before anyways. My favorite color is blue, and I like playing video games and baseball, but I’m not really good at either. Mom keeps telling me I need to practice more, and she tries to help but she’s worse than me._

_My teacher says you’re a helicopter pilot in the Air Force. Do you like what you do? Do you have your own helicopter? Teacher says you’re in Ethiopia, I don’t really know where that is, but do you like it there? Is it cold or hot over there? Spring just started over here, and I can’t wait for summer to come. My mom and Aunt promised to take me to the beach during the summer and I really hope I get to see a shark when we go._

_Do you have a lot of friends in the Air Force? All my friends are at Boston, and mom keeps saying that once I start baseball I’ll have a lot of friends. I really hope she’s right._

_Thank you for reading my letter and I really hope you write me back._

_Sincerely, Dorian Tsukino._

 

* * *

 

Several weeks later, at a base with a classified name no one has heard of, Captain Briefs was returning from delivering crates of supplies to the nearest village, just in time for mail call. Not that he really cared, no one had written to him in a long time anyways.

“I’ll hit the gym now,” he nodded towards his best friend.

“I’ll be there in a sec,” Goten said.

“What is this?” the guy handing out the mail said, followed by a few other shocked laughs. “Hey Cap! Wait up!” he shouted. “Captain Briefs you have a letter! This must be some sort of miracle!”

“For me?” he thought, furrowing his lavender brows. Who would send him a letter anyways? His parents were gone, and he only had his best friend Goten and his family left in the world. He accepted the letter reluctantly, hoping to stop all the commotion.

He was walking back to his barrack when he finally looked down to the envelope he just received. Messy, uneven letters… clearly a child’s handwriting. He sighed in annoyance then; he knew exactly what this was now. Another one of those “Write a Vet” programs at some school.

Trunks was about to throw the envelope on the trash can when he noticed the postmark. Gateway City, California. That was his home, where his base was. He sat down on his bed to read the first letter he received in years.

After reading the letter, and carefully thinking about it, Trunks finally decided to answer to the kid’s questions.

_Dear Dorian Tsukino,_

_Thank you so much for your kind letter. I haven’t gotten a letter from anyone in years. Your teacher is right, you already know my name is Trunks Briefs and yes, I am a Captain at the US Air Force. I don’t have my own helicopter, but I get to fly a lot of helicopters during our missions. I can’t tell you where I am right now, but I can tell you that we’re doing a special mission delivering food and medicine to those who need it. It might not sound like a big deal, but what we’re doing right now it’s pretty important! I love being in the US Air Force, and I plan on being on service until I’m too old to do it anymore. My best friend Goten is my co-pilot, and we’ve been in the Air Force for a long time._

_Don’t worry too much about making friends. You’ll know when the right ones come along, trust me on that. Goten and I met back in Middle School, a long time ago, and we’ve been best friends ever since. Your mom is right about baseball; you will make a lot of friends but hey, don’t give her a hard time for not being good. She’s probably trying her best to help. Just be patient and keep practicing._

_I’m sorry about your dad, and I really do understand what you’re feeling. My dad was barely around, and he wasn’t the greatest dad, but I know he did his best. Your dad is probably on that same page. The weather over here only changes from wet and hot to dry and hot, but I’m glad you’re excited about spending summer on the beach with your family. You’ll get used to the Californian life in no time._

_I have to go to a meeting now, but I enjoyed reading your letter. You can write to me again if you want to, I’ll make sure to answer your questions if you have any._

_Your buddy in the US Air Force, Capt Trunks Briefs._


	2. A new friend

“Dorian, honey,” his Aunt Mina called once he got home. “There’s mail for you on the table.”

“Is it from dad?” he asked hopeful. His eyes opened wide in excitement when he read the name on the envelope. “It’s from that airman I wrote to in class!”

“What airman?” Usagi asked, joining in.

“We wrote letters to the airmen from Orange Air Force Base in Mrs. Diaz class last week,” Dorian said, hurriedly running up the stairs to go to his room and read his letter.

“Writing letters to soldiers, huh?” Usagi wondered out loud once her son disappeared.

Minako shrugged her shoulders. “I think it’s very nice of his teacher to do that,” she said.

“It is, most of them have probably spent too much time away from home,” she said. “But I wonder what Dorian could talk about with someone in the military.”

“Oh, you’re doing it again!” Minako rolled her eyes.

“What?”

“Stop worrying about everything, will ya?” Minako chuckled. “Dorian seemed happy, so just let him enjoy this weird pen pal experience.”

“I hate it when you’re right,” Usagi groaned, making her way back to the kitchen. “I’m making some coffee, you want a cup?”

“Of course I do,” Minako followed her. “So, how’s work?”

“The same,” Usagi smiled. “I’m glad we sell out of everything Mako bakes,” she giggled. “I’m sure I would eat everything just so they wouldn’t go to waste.”

“Oh but you would share with us!”

“I could try, but there’s no guarantee you’ll get anything,” Usagi giggled.

“That’s not nice, Usa.”

“I’m just kidding, Mina,” Usagi got another cup from the pantry. “You want cream and sugar?”

“I got it, thank you.”

 

* * *

 

“Yes, you don’t have to worry about anything. Thank you for choosing Jupiter Oak Bakery for your special occasion,” Usagi said, hanging up the phone. She was almost done with her third week at the bakery and part of her loved her job, but the other one made her feel guilty. She was used to being a stay-at-home mom and focusing all her attention to her beautiful babies while Mamoru took care of everything else regarding family finances. But those times were gone; she was entirely on her own now. And to be honest, being on her own was not something she was good at. After her parents died when she was 14, the sisters started slowly growing apart. Minako, being the oldest, was away at school and she could tell a part of her resented her for having to come back home and take care of her. Usagi then found Mamoru Chiba, a smart, funny, caring and handsome boy from her school. He was barely two years older than her. Usagi was convinced it was true love and married him shortly after turning nineteen. Of course this caused a big argument between the sisters. Usagi always believed her sister was just being overprotective and refused to believe Mamoru was anything but perfect.

Moving back to Gateway City had its pros and cons. She could tell by the dirty looks she got at the grocery store, and sometimes even from costumers at the bakery, that most people she went to school with already knew of her current situation. And it saddened her not to have anyone to turn to for support now that Minako was working at a private care clinic.

But she was grateful to know that her old housekeeper, and nanny, Ikuko had stayed behind to help Minako keep the house in order. She even refused to take any payment for helping Usagi with her baby so she wouldn’t have to take her to a daycare.

Usagi knew this change was both a blessing and a curse, but she was going to try her best to focus only on the bright side. She then looked up at the clock on the wall and smiled gladly. It was almost three and she would be getting off work soon. Makoto was truly a wonderful and very understanding woman, especially when it came to school-related issues, military leave, and little league schedules.

The drive back home wasn’t long, but it was long enough for her to be alone with her thoughts. And her feelings. She was over Mamoru, but as much as she tried denying it, the divorce had been so hard on her and it still hurt her. After all, Mamoru was her first love, and she couldn’t help but feel like she did something wrong along the way. Why else would Mamoru stray from her?

Minako had even mentioned some of the young doctors she worked with would surely be perfect for her, but Usagi was in no position to dive back into a relationship. No, she was going to focus on her children and being a good mother for them.

 

* * *

 

_Dear Captain Briefs,_

_I got your letter today and I was glad I finally got something in the mail. At first I thought it was going to be from my dad, but then I read your name on the envelope. I didn’t think you would write back because you’re probably busy flying around your helicopter and stuff like that. But thank you for your letter._

_I asked my Aunt Minako to print a picture of us so I could send it to you. My mom’s old nanny took it the day we got to Aunt Mina’s house. Her house is old but I really like it, it’s smaller than our old house but we have neighbors here. Dad didn’t want to have neighbors when we lived in Boston; he said they were always going to be having loud parties. I can hear my sister cry from her room at night, and I don’t really mind having a sister but she cries a lot and I wish we had a dog instead. Do you have any brothers or sisters? I tried to convince mom to get a dog, but she said I have to be nice to Aunt Mina first. I hope she takes me to the shelter to find a dog soon. Did you ever have a dog?_

_Aunt Mina said you should come over to our house when you return from Ethiopia, she said she’ll have mom help her make you dinner to thank you for being so nice to me. What is your favorite food? Mine’s grilled cheese, and pb &j. My sister Usa likes apples and tiny carrots. Mom and Aunt Mina like nasty, grownup stuff like broccoli, seafood and vegetables._

_I’m very nervous about the baseball tryouts. I really want to make it to the team, but the other kids make fun of me and say I throw like a girl. Did you have a hard time with baseball? Mom promised to help me this weekend. Wish us luck._

_Your friend, Dorian Tsukino._

_Ps. I wrote our names on the back of the picture._

 

* * *

 

Somewhere in Ethiopia, Captain Trunks Briefs was laying on his bed after reading another letter from the same kid in California. He took the picture out of the envelope and had no trouble recognizing Dorian, as he was the only boy in the photograph. He had black hair and light blue eyes. He was standing next to a joyful, blue-eyed blonde wearing orange scrubs who, according to the label in the back, was Minako, the Aunt. But Usagi, the boy’s mother, was who he couldn’t take his eyes off: A short blonde with big blue eyes, and a haunting smile. Cradled in her arms was an adorable baby girl with pink hair styled in pigtails. The little girl was the spitting image of her mother.

“Whatcha got there?” Goten asked.

“That kid who’s been writing to me sent me a picture of his family,” he answered, trying to act like he hadn’t been staring at the picture for several minutes as he handed it out to his friend.

“Ohh,” Goten said, tapping on Usagi’s image. “She’s pretty,” he grinned. “Is that the kid’s mom?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, taking the picture away from Goten’s hands.

“Oh man, you gotta introduce yourself when we get back next week,” his best friend said.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he shook his head.

“Dude, come on. It’s been four years now. You gotta get back out there, meet someone!” Goten stared down at his friend. “Don’t let that bitch of an ex ruin the rest of your life.”

“Hey, I told you not to call her that. She wasn’t a bitch,” Trunks said, getting up and sticking the letter and photograph into his duffel bag.

“Okay,” Goten snorted, crossing his arms. “She cheated on you, man. And she sent you the divorce papers _while_ you were overseas. That’s a pretty damn bitchy move in my books,” he retorted. “Fine,” he sighed after a while. “She was your wife and I should at least respect that. But seriously, you should look up that little boy and introduce yourself.”

“Will you leave me alone if I say I will?”

“Maybe,” he grinned.

Trunks massaged his temple and let out an annoyed sighed. “I’ll think about it,” was the only thing he said before walking away.

 

* * *

 

“Hurry up, mom! We’re going to be late!” Dorian yelled from the living room. He was both nervous and excited for today and he definitely didn’t want to be late and make a bad impression on his coach on the first day of Little League. “Mom!”

“One second, sweetheart. I’m almost done getting your sister ready,” Usagi yelled back. “I promise we won’t be late, okay?”

Dorian sighed and fell back into the couch. He wasn’t ready for this, but his mother insisted on it and signed him up anyway. She finally came down the stairs with his little sister in her arms, wearing a comfortable pair of jeans, a white t-shirt with a red sweater on top, her long hair pulled up in a messy bun. His little sister was wearing some sort of black leggings and a long sleeved red dress.

Ikuko came out of the kitchen with a packed lunch for all of them. “Some snacks for the kids, sandwiches, fruit and water,” she said, handing the bag to Usagi. “Good luck today, my boy,” she gave Dorian a tight hug. “You’ll do great.”

“Thank you,” Dorian said with a halfhearted smile as he pulled away from her embrace.

“You’re a lifesaver, thank you so much!” Usagi smiled and then made her way out. “Dorian, honey, can you get the door for me?”

“Yes, mom,” he said, opening the door so his mom could set his sister on her car seat.

Once they were ready, they drove off to the park where the Dragons played.

“We’re here,” Usagi said.

“What if I’m not good?” Dorian asked as his mom parked the car. “What if I don’t make it to the team?”

“You’ll do great, sweetheart,” Usagi reassured him with a smile. “You have to believe in yourself. And if you can’t make it today, you’ll keep practicing and you’ll get better in no time.”

“But what if I never get better?”

“Don’t say that, sweetheart. Remember what Aunt Minako told you last night?”

“That I should try the best I can and the best I can is more than good enough,” he said, undoing his seatbelt.

“Exactly,” Usagi smiled again. “Now hurry up, sweetheart, you don’t want to be late on your first day,” she added, getting out of the car to open the back seat door and get her baby out of the car seat.

They walked towards the park, where dozens of kids were already being trailed by their fathers and some by their mothers. Usagi made sure her baby was safe in her carrier and kept her head high as they made their way through the crowd, taking mental notes to ignore the looks she was getting from people who clearly knew who they were. “Hello,” she said once they met with the coach and proceeded to check her son in, and then took a seat on one of the benches.

“I’ve never seen you before,” said a beautiful woman sitting next to her. “I’m Rei Son, my son Hiro is also trying out for the Dragons this season,” she smiled.

“Nice to meet you,” she smiled back. “I’m Usagi, and this little cutie is also Usagi. My son Dorian is trying out for the Dragons as well.”

“Well, let’s hope they make it,” Rei said, taking a closer look at the girl. “You look familiar, have we met before?”

“Maybe you’ve met my sister, Minako Tsukino. People say we look like twins,” she shrugged her shoulders.

“Of course,” Rei nodded. “I took my grandfather to the clinic where she works before he died. Your sister is a wonderful person.”

“Thank you, and I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Oh, don’t worry about. He was already suffering too much,” Rei smiled halfheartedly. “Oh, look. They’re starting now!”

The kids started out by running bases. Dorian wasn’t as tall as the other kids, but he sure was faster than them and soon was in front of the pack. Another kid, Hiro, was starting to catch up and kept a good pace with him. The two mothers sat together smiling proudly that their boys were doing so well.

“I thought there will be more moms here,” Rei said looking around to find them surrounded by plenty of unhappy dads. Most of them were sitting with their arms crossed, stern looks on their faces as they shouted for their kids to pick up the pace.

“Oh, I didn’t realize we’re the only moms here. I thought I saw others when we got here,” Usagi said, softly rocking her precious baby.

“Yeah, they probably left as soon as they dropped their boys off,” she sighed. “It doesn’t surprise me that the dads are the only involved in these activities.”

“You’re married?” Usagi asked softly.

Rei nodded as she showed her the ring on her left hand, “but he’s not here right now.”

“Oh. Where is he?”

“Somewhere in Ethiopia,” Rei said as casual as possible, digging in her bag to get out her water bottle. “Goten is a helicopter pilot in the Air Force, he was actually stationed here in the Orange Air Force Base. I don’t think he’s ever going to stop,” she sighed. “His best friend, Trunks, and he joined when they were eighteen and neither of them seems to want out.”

“Trunks?” Usagi asked, something about that name sounded familiar. And then it clicked. “You don’t possibly mean Trunks Briefs, do you?”

“Yeah,” Rei said, turning to her with a surprised look on her face. “Why? You know him?”

Usagi shook her head. “My son has been writing to him for weeks,” she smiled.

“Small world we live in, huh?” Rei returned the smile. “Goten was telling me the other day he called that Trunks was getting some letters from a local kid. I figured Mrs. Diaz was behind it,” she chuckled lightly. “She’s the Colonel’s wife, and does this sort of thing all the time.”

“Well, it’s really nice of her to do that.”

“It is,” Rei nodded. “Not everyone has family or friends to write to.”

The coach started lining up the kids in pairs so they could toss the ball back and forth. Dorian and Hiro were paired together and while Dorian is catching all of Hiro’s tosses, he was having a hard time making it to his glove. Usagi worried her lip as she watched the coach walk up and down the rows, paying close attention to every single kid. After they were done with this exercise, they moved on to batting. Usagi relaxed once she noticed her son was significantly doing better now. He managed to hit all but three of the pitches he was given. That wasn’t bad at all. Once the practice was over, the kids walked back to their parents.

“Good job, sweetheart,” Usagi smiled, digging out a water bottle from her bag. “I want you to meet Mrs. Son, and you already met her son, Hiro,” she said, handing him the water bottle and a plastic bag with orange slices. “Mr. Son, her husband, is friends with the soldier you–“

“Captain Briefs is an _airman_ , mom,” Dorian corrected her, sticking an orange slice in his mouth.

“Oh, _excuse me_ ,” she giggled. “Her husband is friends with the a _irman_ you’ve been writing to.”

Dorian’s eyes lit up at the mention of said Captain, and he focused his attention on the lady with long, raven hair. “Really?”

“Yes,” Rei nodded. “They’re best friends, and he’s also a Captain,” she smiled.

“Yes, daddy flies helicopters,” Hiro added with a proud smile.

“Captain Briefs told me about him, he said his best friend joined the Air Force when he did.”

“That’s right,” Rei chuckled. “Hey, you know what? They’ll be back in a few days, you should come over and we’ll have a barbeque. It will be a great surprise for both my Goten and Trunks,” she said. “Trunks doesn’t have any family left and we’ve been trying to get him to be more social when he’s home.”

“Can we please go, mom? Please!” Dorian insisted.

“Alright,” Usagi giggled. “I’ll give you my number so you can let me know when it is,” she said, writing down her phone number on a napkin she found in her purse. “I think Dorian would love to meet the Captains.”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Trunks!” Goten said, coming into their tent. “You’ll never guess who is playing ball with my boy.”

“Could be a lot of people,” Trunks answered uninterestedly from the comfort of his bed.

“That kid Dorian you’ve been writing to,” he said, throwing a bag of homemade cookies at him. “Rei’s setting up a barbeque at the house next week. That kid and his mom are going to be there,” he grinned mischievously.

“What?” Trunks furrowed his brows. “Now, hold up!” he sat up on the bed. “Don’t you both start trying to set me up!”

“Of course not,” his friend’s smile broadened.

“Hey, I mean it!” Trunks warned him before he left his tent.


	3. Meeting the Captain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updating! It feels like it's been so long...   
> But here I am now. Hope you guys like it :)

 

The bus came to a stop, signaling they were finally back home. Trunks wasn’t sure when exactly he’d fallen asleep but he looked outside the window to find all their families waiting for them with banners and balloons. It was good to be back.

He had no one waiting for him, so he was always the last one to get off the bus giving the rest of them enough room to hurry back to their loved ones. He picked up his duffel bag and quietly walked to his barrack.

Once he settled all his belongings back in his living quarters, he found one of the envelopes of Dorian’s letters left inside his duffel bag and he stared at the address written on it for moment. Dorian Tsukino lived in Gateway City, about ten minutes outside his base and a few miles into town. It wouldn’t take him more than twenty minutes to get from his barrack to the house. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave his base and meet the little boy in person. No, it felt like invading their privacy if he showed up uninvited just like that. He decided to hit the gym instead, to clear his mind.

He was about to finish his last set of bench press reps when Goten walked in.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” his friend said, “what are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Trunks asked, continuing with his exercise.

“I mean, why are you here now? We’re finally back home, you should be doing something fun for fucks sake!”

“Who said this isn’t fun?”

Goten stared down at his friend “very funny,” he crossed his arms. “Rei wanted to know if you would join us for dinner tonight, she’s making something special for us.”

“Nah man, I’m good. You two need some time to enjoy yourselves, it’s been a while and I don’t want to intrude in your family time.”

“Nonsense, you’re family too,” Goten smiled, “you can’t stay here on your own. All the boys are going out somewhere tonight.”

“I’ll find something to do, don’t worry about me,” Trunks said, finishing his set and sitting up.

“Last chance, dinner at my place,” Goten smiled halfheartedly. “Rei insisted on not letting you stay on your own, but I honestly can’t force you to anything.”

“Tell her I appreciate it, but this is your time to be with your family.”

“Alright then,” Goten sighed in defeat, “but if you change your mind, you’re more than welcome to come over.”

Trunks nodded. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it,” he said before his friend left. He was done using the gym for the day so it was time to hit the showers. Once he was back in his barrack, the envelope on his bed kept staring at him in a quiet reminder that he was bound to meet the boy soon enough. He couldn’t put it off much longer, and he was sure Goten and Rei wouldn’t lie for him much longer to the Tsukinos. Especially if Rei was really planning on having that barbeque thing Goten mentioned the other day.

With a slight groan, he reluctantly grabbed his keys and left.

As he drove through Gateway City, Trunks argued with himself about this being the most terrible idea he’s ever had. He wasn’t good with people; he was perfectly fine on his own. If it wasn’t for Goten and his family, he wouldn’t have anyone. His mom passed away shortly after he graduated from boot camp. She paid for most of his flight lessons and everything else he needed for his training so he could become an officer. Everything good in his life came from Bulma Briefs, and there wasn’t a day in his life when he wouldn’t miss her. The happiest day of his life was when Goten and Rei told him they put him down as their son’s guardian if anything were to happen to them.

And now he’s got this little boy he’s gotten to known through letters, who has the same interests and similar home life that he had. He simply couldn’t turn his back on the kid. If he hadn’t answer the letter in the first place he wouldn’t be in this mess, so it was too late to try to get out.

He made another left turn and his Jeep came to a stop outside the house with Dorian’s address, and he sat in there for a moment. Was he really going to do this? He stared out the window and took a closer look at the house. It was old and modest, just like the one he grew up in.

He finally got out of the car, walked up to the front door and rung the bell.

 

* * *

 

Usagi was putting the rest of the groceries away while she waited for her baby girl to get up from her nap so they could go to the park and practice with Dorian. The ringing bell startled her, and she was thankful she was closing the fridge door and not holding anything anymore when she jumped a little. No one ever came to the house, and she was sure they weren’t expecting anyone today.

She looked up, hoping that little Usagi would sleep through the bell ringing. She went to the door and was shocked at the sight of the very large man on her front step, slightly intrigued by the hint of lavender hair peeking out from under his hat. “Oh. Uh, hello. Can I help you?”

“Does Dorian Tsukino live here?” he asked. “I’m Captain Trunks Briefs, the airman he’s been writing to.” He paused his speech to get a good look at the stunningly beautiful woman in front of him. “You must be Dorian’s mom,” he smiled softly.

Light blue eyes met dark blue and Usagi’s breath stilled for a moment. “Oh, uhm. Yeah, he’s uh –he’s talked non-stop about you since he started writing to you. Please, come in, how rude of me,” she nervously moved out of the way, “I know Dorian is going to freak out when he sees you’re here. We thought you were still in Ethiopia.”

“We just got back,” Trunks said, following Usagi into the house.

“Dorian! Come down for a moment, sweetheart! There’s someone here to see you!” Usagi called through the house.

Thundering down the stairs, Dorian came running and suddenly froze at the sight of him, “it’s you, isn’t it?” his eyes widening in surprise.

“Hey, buddy. Yeah, it’s me,” Trunks smiled, kneeling down to be at his eye level. “How’s it going?”

“I thought you were still in Ethiopia,” the little boy said.

“We just got back,” he nodded. “Hey listen, remember in your letters you told me you were having a little trouble with baseball? Well I happen to love baseball and I’m pretty good at it, so I was thinking, if it’s alright with your mom,” Trunks said, looking up at Usagi, his light eyes penetrating her blue ones. “Maybe we could go play for a little and I’ll teach you a few tricks.”

“Mom, can I? Please, mom,” Dorian asked, turning his attention to his mom. “I need help and you can’t do it.”

“Wow, I try my best,” Usagi said with mock shock, and gave in to his pleading eyes almost immediately. “Alright, alright,” she sighed, “let me go get your sister and we can all go to the park, how does that sound?”

“Come on, mom,” Dorian whined.

“Well, your mom is right,” Trunks said with a serious face as Usagi walked up the stairs. “Besides,” he continued once she was no longer in sight, “we need someone to field for us.”

To say that Dorian was excited was an understatement. He ran to his room to get his baseball hat and put his shoes on, before thundering down the stairs once again to talk to the Captain.

Usagi started loading her SUV, and once she made sure her baby was safe in her car seat she closed the door and turned around to make sure the handsome Captain was ready to follow them on his own car. Did she really just say that? She shook her head and got on the driver side of her SUV, driving off towards the park.

Trunks quickly followed behind them. He was slightly surprised at how quickly he had been entranced with Usagi. She was even more beautiful in person than the picture Dorian sent him. He shook his head quickly and reminded himself he was doing this for Dorian. He was there to help the kid and he needed to focus on that. He was thankful that Goten’s wife mentioned a few things about him, like the fact that he was quick on his feet and could get under the ball with no problem, but little Dorian couldn’t throw at all. And he already knew it was going to take all his mettle to keep his mind on baseball and not the curves on Usagi’s body.

Once they got to the park, Trunks pulled out his aged baseball gear, the same he used when he taught Hiro how to play. He saw Usagi and the kids rolling up to the ball field; Dorian was running towards him as his mother pushed the baby in the stroller. He forcefully shrugged out the image in his head of them walking together before it got out of hand.

“So,” he said as Dorian reached him. “I was thinking maybe we could work on your throw first.”

“Ok!”

Usagi spread out what seemed like a blanket and sat down with her baby to watch the boys play. She let little Usagi crawl around the blanket as she got a water bottle from her purse, keeping watch on them.

“Alright, let’s give it a try,” he crouched down to Dorian’s level once again. “The secret here is getting your weight behind the ball when you throw.”

“But I don’t have a lot of weight,” Dorian said.

“That’s fine, buddy. When I was your age, I wasn’t much good at throwing. But I sure could catch,” Trunks smiled. “Maybe that’s your thing too, why don’t we try that instead?” Once Dorian nodded, he turned his attention to the kid’s mom, “yo, Usagi!”

The blonde jumped at the sound of her name coming from the Captain. “Yeah?”

“Do you know if the team already picked a catcher?”

“I uh, I think they’re supposed to do that next practice.”

“That’s great!” Trunks smiled again, and turned to Dorian, “okay buddy, this is what we’re going to do then…”

For the next hour and a half Trunks and Dorian threw balls, then hit some more across the field and he even taught her little boy how to catch balls in no time. Dorian was truly having a great time learning all these tricks. Once Usagi was convinced that he was in good hands, she picked up her baby and took her to the playground. She certainly couldn’t get over how good looking this Captain Briefs turned out to be; she half expected Captain Briefs to be a pudgy, wrinkly guy that was just biding time until retirement, not this gorgeous, muscular guy that seemed thrilled to spend time with her son. Usagi watched how Trunks was teaching Dorian how to bat and when he slightly wrapped his big, strong arms around him, she imagined trading places with him at that moment. _Dear god, get it together Usagi! He’s only here for Dorian, not to be with you. You wouldn’t be that lucky anyway!_

“Guys, I hate having to do this, but we have to meet your aunt Mina for dinner soon,” Usagi said, packing up the blanket. “You know she’s not a patient person and she hates it when we’re late.”

“Can Captain Briefs come too, mom? Please!” Dorian asked, not wanting his time with his new friend to end. It had been so long since he had a male role model in his life that he was just starving for the attention. “Please, mom. Aunt Mina won’t mind, she’ll like him right away.”

_Oh she will,_ said the little voice inside her mind.

“You know what, bud,” Trunks said before she could answer, “I’m actually going to have dinner with my friend Goten and his family tonight. Maybe another time,” he assured him, taking the heat off Usagi.

Dorian sighed sadly, looking at his own feet as he kicked the dirt. “Okay.”

Trunks couldn’t help a smile at his disappointment. “Hey, how about I come to your next practice? I could see what else we need to work on and I’m sure Hiro wouldn’t mind sharing his couch with you.”

“Yeah, I’d like that!” Dorian smiled.

He proceeded to do a secret, boys only handshake and Usagi couldn’t help but smile at that. It was the happiest she’d seen her son in months, and she was hoping he’d stay like that for a long time.

“I should get going,” Trunks said, offering his hand to the beautiful woman. “I sure hope to see you again,” he smirked.

 

* * *

 

“What? What’s wrong with you?” Goten asked his best friend, sitting on the table across from him. “You didn’t accept the offer to have dinner with them?”

“I panicked, okay!” Trunks said, annoyingly massaging the sides of his head. “I just didn’t know what to do, man. It felt so weird and Usagi’s just, I mean, she’s so beautiful.”

“She is really pretty,” Rei said, placing a plate of food in front of their guest, “she seemed really nice too.”

“Then why are you here with us instead of them?” Goten asked with his mouth full.

“Please don’t do that, honey,” Rei rolled her eyes in disgust.

“What?” Goten shrugged.

“Are you going to see them again?” Rei asked, ignoring her husband now.

“Sure, I was thinking about going to their next practice.”

“You’re gonna see me play, uncle Trunks?” Hiro asked with a big smile.

“Of course, buddy. We still need to work on the bat, you know. Your mom told me you’re getting faster too.”

“I am,” Hiro nodded.

“Well then, I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Rei smiled again.

“You should ask her out too,” Goten grinned once he felt his friend’s eyes glaring daggers at him.

 

* * *

 

“You mean to tell me, we could have been in the presence of a true dreamboat and you let him sail away!?” Mina scolded, when Usagi quickly recreated the day for her sister while Dorian went to the restaurant’s bathroom. “What is wrong with you, sis?”

“You should’ve seen it, Mina,” she rolled her eyes. “He was there for Dorian and only him, I didn’t exist in Captain Brief’s eyes unless it was for a question Dorian couldn’t answer. And he was so good and patient with him, Dorian was ecstatic.”

“Okay, then what’s stopping you from getting Captain Handsome?” Mina asked seriously. “Sounds like he really cares about your son and, let’s face it, sis, not many guys would be comfortable with dating a woman with kids now,” she rolled her eyes, “you should go for it.”

“Mina,” Usagi shook her head and sighed, “I’m not looking for anything right now.”

“That’s even better!” Mina teased her.

Usagi chuckled softly and shook her head once again. “I’m serious, I’m not ready to start dating again. My focus is on my kids right now, and that’s it.”

“Alright, alright,” Mina said while Dorian joined them at the table. “You ready to order, honey?”

Dorian nodded and turned to his mom, “can I add meatballs to my spaghetti?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” Usagi smiled, “you can get whatever you want.”

“So,” Mina smiled mischievously, “your mom was telling me you finally met Captain Briefs.”

“We did!” Dorian said cheerfully, “he’s so cool. He’s gonna teach me how to play and he’s a lot better than mom.”

“That sounds great, honey,” Mina smiled. “Can I meet him?”

Usagi looked at her disapprovingly.

“Well, he said he was going to be at next practice,” the little boy informed her.

“I need to judge for myself if he’s good enough to be around my nephew,” she teased.

“Oh, you’ll just scare him off,” Usagi giggled.

“Can’t promise I won’t,” Minako chuckled as she shrugged her shoulders and called for their waiter to place their order.


	4. Getting to know you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, an update!  
> Sorry, I've been dealing with life... and just couldn't bring myself to update anything for a while. Yes, the chapter is kind of short but I figured it was best to leave it at this. You'll see why when I post next chapter!

It was the last day of practice before the final roster would be set for the Dragons Little League team. Hiro Son was at the top of the list for pitcher, he had the best arm of the bunch, and it looked like Dorian Tsukino would likely be the new catcher of the team, thanks in part to the coaching from Captain Trunks Briefs.

Usagi, her baby girl, Minako, Rei, Goten and Trunks were in the stands for the last practice. Usagi sat on one end of the bench and Captain Briefs on the other. Rei and Goten didn’t like this and had other ideas of their own and moved around so Usagi and Trunks were next to each other. Hopefully, without the three buffers between them, they could take some time to get to know each other.

“How long have you been in the Air Force?” Usagi asked, bouncing little Usa on her knee.

“I joined soon after high school and have been in the service since,” Trunks answered, watching Dorian and Hiro on the field. Dorian was at bat, and he motioned for the boy to adjust his stance like they practiced days before, “keep that back elbow up!” he nodded when Dorian did as he said. “Anyways, it’s all I ever wanted to do. Being in the Air Force and flying helicopters. What about you, Usagi? What do you do?”

“Well, this is a little embarrassing, but I just started my first job ever,” she smiled nervously, “I work at Jupiter Oak Bakery with Mrs Furuhata. I’m basically in charge of taking orders and boxing pastries,” she answered.

“Your first job, huh?”

“Yes,” she laughed nervously, “I know, it’s pathetic. A twenty-eight year old woman has her first job, but when I was with Mamoru, Dorian’s father, I spent all my time taking care of the house and the kids.”

Trunks nodded, his eyes still focused on the kids playing. “How long have you been divorced? Nice pitch, Hiro! Keep it up!”

“About a year and a half now,” Usagi answered, clapping along with the other parents. “Have you ever been married?”

“I was. Lizzie, Elizabeth,” he sighed bitterly, “she was the kind of woman who wanted the prestige of being a Captain’s wife but didn’t like what it entailed and the commitment it took. I couldn’t seem to be able to take care of her while I was overseas, so she found someone who could be there all the time. We were great when I was home but she didn’t like me being away all the time.”

“She was also a colossal pain in the ass and raging bitch most of the time,” Goten said. Rei elbowed him in an effort to shut him up, and Trunks just shook his head at him.

“Goten wasn’t too fond of her,” Trunks said. “But she’s been gone, shit, over four years now.”

“Did you have any children?” Usagi asked, passing her baby down to Minako, who was carefully listening to the conversation. Not to be nosy, but to keep tabs on her sister.

“No,” Trunks shook his head. “She didn’t want any. Not with me anyway.”

“Oh,” Usagi was quiet for a moment, her gaze going back to the kids running around the field.

“So I was thinking that we should all have dinner at the house when we get done here,” Minako said, changing the subject. “It would be a great way to have grown-up time and let the kids jump around the trampoline in the backyard.”

“Oh we’d love to but Hiro has a birthday sleepover to get to,” Rei said. “But I’m sure Trunks would enjoy a meal not prepared by the base cafeteria,” she smiled softly at him.

_Damn it, Rei. I should have known she’d try to pull the Cupid maneuver._ “How about I take you guys out for dinner instead? That way no one has to worry about the dishes.”

“I like the sound of that,” Minako smiled. “Where are you thinking?”

_Honestly? Somewhere intimate for just Usa and I._ “How about that diner on the corner of Stone and Hale? They have the best milkshakes in town.”

“Oh, we used to go there all the time as kids, remember Usa?” Mina said, elbowing her sister. “You used to love the strawberry cheesecake shakes.”

_And that’s also the place here Mamoru asked me to marry him after our graduation._ “I’m sure Dorian will like it,” Usagi said, forcing herself to smile.

They bid the Sons goodbye before climbing into their respective cars. Usagi’s hands were shaking so badly she could barely get her baby buckled into her seat. She didn’t want to go to that particular diner, not that night, not now that she was trying to get rid of every memory of Mamoru from her head and heart. It’s been years since then but she was sure they’d probably still have that wall of photos by the back corner booth, and there would be dozens of pictures of her and him. Memories she doesn’t want to be reminded of, not ever. But she was willing to do this for the sake of her son and the wonderful bond between him and Captain Briefs.

“What has you so jittery, Usa?” Minako asked, pulling into the parking lot.

“This was our place. Mamoru and I used to come here all the time,” she said.

“Well why the hell didn’t you say something, Usa? I never would have agreed if that was the case, you know that.”

“I’ll be fine. Besides, being here is for Dorian, not for me. I’m not ready for anything more.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, sis. You have it bad for Captain Gorgeous.”

“What? I do not!”

“Do too.”

“Do not!”

“Mom, can I get a chocolate milkshake?” Dorian asked from his seat.

“All in favor of milkshakes?” Minako asked playfully, while her and Dorian’s hand went up in a flash.

By imitation, little Usagi raised her hand as well, making everyone in the car laugh and leaving Usagi outnumbered. “Fine, fine. He’s probably already waiting for us.”

The Tsukinos entered the diner and saw Trunks sitting in the back corner booth. He smiled as they came towards him. He stood up to let Dorian slide into the corner on his side of the table. Usagi, Mina and baby Usa sat on the other side.

The waitress came up to the table and offered a high chair for the baby, which Usagi gladly accepted. Dorian turned in his seat and looked back at the photo wall behind him.”

“Look, Mom! It’s you!” he said, pulling down a photo of a much younger Usagi. “Auntie Mina is with you too!”

Usagi and Mina took the photo from the little boy to examine it, to Usagi’s relief. “Who are those people with you?” Dorian asked.

“That’s Grandpa Kenji and Grandma Ikuko” Minako said, her breath catching. They were around nine or ten in the photograph and they looked like a happy family. “Put it back, Dorian, please.”

Instinctively, Trunks reached across the table and took Usagi’s hand, running his thumbs over her knuckles. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about the wall.”

“It’s okay,” she said, giving his hand a light squeeze. “You didn’t know.”

The sadness was evident as they look over their menus. “Mom, can I get a grilled cheese and a milkshake?” Dorian asked.

“Sure, sweetheart,” Usagi said. “Want to get a side of barbecue sauce to dip it?”

“Wait, you dip your grilled cheese in barbecue sauce too?” Trunks asked, jokingly. “I do that too.”

“Really?” Dorian’s eyes lit up, he hadn’t met anyone else besides his mom and aunt who did that.

“Only way to eat a grilled cheese.”

The group ordered their dinners; two plates of grilled cheese with fries with a chocolate shake and a side of barbecue sauce, a Caesar salad with grilled chicken for Mina and pancakes and bacon for Usagi and her baby. They ate in comfortable silence, Dorian and Trunks elbowing each other as they dip their sandwiches and fries in the sauce. Like all their interactions, Usagi could see that Trunks was there to make her son happy. And that truly made her smile.

“So, next weekend is Guest Day at the base,” Trunks said. “I’d really like it if you guys could come as my guests.”

“I have to work, Liza traded her schedule with me and I can’t change it,” Mina said, making sure she was covered to get Usagi to go.

“Will you teach me to fly your helicopter?” Dorian asked excitedly.

“Well, you have to be two feet taller, but I can let you sit in the cockpit and start her up,” Trunks said, ruffling the boy’s hair.

 

##########

“So they’re coming to Guest Day?” Goten asked, during their nightly beer and poker.

“Yeah. You know Goten, it’s the first time since Lizzie left that I actually feel happy about something,” Trunks said, putting down two of his cards to replace them. “It’s not just Usagi that I care about, her boy too. He’s so starved for positive male interaction that it’s all I can do to be there for him.”

“As your best friend and co-pilot, it’s my duty to tell you that I am happy you’re finally happy. Trust me, Rei and Hiro are excited that you’re getting out there and doing other things. Rei was starting to worry you’d never meet anyone and end up living in out basement when you retire,” he said, jokingly.

 

##########

 

“So, you and Captain Handsome seemed to be enjoying yourselves today,” Mina said. “What were you two talking about?”

“You know, the usual getting to know you questions,” Usagi said, turning down the baby monitor. “His ex was a real piece of work though. I’m sure she and Mamoru would get along great,” she rolled her eyes.

“Okay, Usagi. If this thing, whatever it is that you’ve got going, is going to work out you really need to stop thinking about Mamoru. That insufferable piece of shit is out of our lives and I hope against all I hope that he stays that way. But you need to open yourself to the idea that maybe this Captain Briefs is somehow your second chance or something. Usa, you know I’ll never get married or even try to do the whole family thingy. I am perfectly happy by myself and can totally deal with that. You, on the other hand, are not.”

Usagi looked down at her cup of tea.

“I love you more than anything, little sister, and you know I’m not trying to hurt you but you’ve never been good at being alone. You need someone who completes you and is going to be there for you no matter what.”

##########

“All I’m gonna say is that you deserve this second chance, man,” Goten said, shuffling the stack of cards. “Liz wasn’t for you, and I want to believe you knew that from the start. But Usagi, man, I haven’t seen you look at a girl the way you look at her. She could tell you anything and you’d be just fine with it as long as it’s her.”

Trunks sighed and shook his head. “Here’s what you don’t get. Goten,” he said, “Usagi is about a year and a half post divorce. I can’t be the first guy she’s been with after something big like that. It just wouldn’t be fair to her or the kids.”

“See, you’re already putting them above yourself, something you’re very good at doing. Hell, man, you traded your leave for me when Rei was pregnant. You go above and beyond for the people you care about. And you know damn well that now includes Usagi Tsukino and her two kids.”

##########

Usagi checked her phone before she fell asleep. Trunks had just sent her a photo he took of her and Dorian in his full baseball gear.

The message attached said, “you seemed like you needed something to smile about.”

Oh, and she did.

But Usagi was gone now. Lost completely, and utterly, to the Captain.


	5. Disappointment to Joy

 

The phone rang on Monday before their weekend with Trunks at the base. Minako was the first to the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey Mina, it’s Mamoru,” the dreaded ex-husband and father said. “Is Dorian home?”

“Hold on a second,” she said, almost hanging up on him. “Dorian! Your father is on the phone.”

Despite his protests, Dorian really loved his dad. So he came thundering down the stairs and took the phone from his aunt. A grin on his face bigger than Mina had seen when he was playing baseball with the Captain.

“Hi Dad!” Dorian said, sitting down on the couch.

“Hey buddy,” Mamoru replied. “I’ve got great news for you. I’m going to be in your area this weekend for work and thought you might like to hang out with me for the day?”

Dorian’s face fell. This weekend was when he was going to the base with Captain Trunks. “Does it have to be this weekend?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s the only time I have to spare,” Mamoru said.

“Can I call you back after I ask Mom?”

“Sure, buddy. If I don’t answer, just leave a message. Alright? I gotta go now, but call me later.”

Dorian hung up the phone sadly. With his father it was never ‘I’ll call you later’, it was always ‘call me later’. It was always about never inconveniencing him.

“Who was on the phone, sweetheart?” Usagi asked, coming down from putting her baby down for a nap.

“Dad’s going to be in town this weekend and wants me to come see him,” he said, trying his best to sound excited.

“You don’t have to see your dad if you don’t want to,” Usagi said. “I know how excited you are for Guest Day with the Captain.”

“But Dad called me,” Dorian said. “He’s never done that before, Mom.”

“That’s true. But it’s up to you, honey. Do you want to go see your dad or do you want to go to the base with Captain Trunks?”

Dorian frowned. He was used to his mother making all the choices. He sat down on the couch and carefully thought it over. “I get to see Captain Trunks often. Dad called me and he’s never done that before,” he furrowed his brows. “I want to see Dad.”

“Okay then. You should call him back,” Usagi said.

And as usual, all he got was his voicemail. “Hey Dad. It’s me. Mom said it’s okay for me to come see you. She wants you to call her with the details. See you on Saturday. Bye.”

Usagi was telling Dorian what to say from a distance so Mamoru couldn’t hear. After dinner, Usagi had to make the hard call to Trunks to tell him they wouldn’t be coming to the base on Saturday.

“Hey Usagi,” Trunks said, his face instantly lighting up with a smile. “What’s up?”

Usagi took a deep breath. “Mamoru called. He wants to spend a day with Dorian and it has to be this weekend. I’m sorry but we’re not going to be able to come on Saturday.”

“Oh. Well it is his dad,” Trunks said, trying to mask the disappointment in his voice. “You and Usa could still come though.”

Usagi chuckled lightly, “and have Dorian hate us for weeks? It’ll be better if we just try again another time.”

“You’re right. There’ll be other guest days. Besides, it’s not like I’m not going to see you guys this week anyway. Wait, it’s still okay for Dorian to come to the park with Hiro and I to work on his throw?”

“Of course. Wednesday at four, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ll see you then.” Trunks hung up without saying goodbye.

“Why do you look like someone just stole your last cookie?” Goten asked, having watched his friend through the whole phone call.

“Mr Asshole just ruined my weekend,” Trunks said.

“Wait, who?”

“Usagi’s ex. He called up and now wants Dorian to spend the weekend with him.”

“Okay. How is this a bad thing?”

“The guy has never wanted much to do with his son before. Why the sudden interest?”

“Maybe he’s had a change of heart.”

“Yeah. Highly unlikely.”

 

##########

 

Hiro and Trunks took great lengths to not mention anything related to Guest Day that coming weekend when Dorian was around. They didn’t want him to feel left out. Dorian was more excited about his dad coming to see him and was very distracted during his time with Trunks. And for a kid who can hit six of the ten pitches he’s thrown, it was a big deal.

“Is everything okay, Dorian?” Trunks asked. “You know, about ninety percent of baseball is the mental game. If you’re having an off day or you’re in a rival stadium and you’re getting booed off the plate, you have to put it in the back of your mind and focus on the game. Are you worried about seeing your dad?”

The little boy nodded. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. What if it goes bad?”

“Dorian, he’s your dad. If it goes bad, that’s on him, not you, buddy.” Trunks gathered the little boy in his arms, hugging him tightly and couldn’t help the thoughts in the back of his mind: _If I was your dad, you’d never have to worry about shit like this._ “I have an idea. Why don’t we go get some ice cream?”

Hiro, Dorian and Trunks load up his truck and headed for the nearest ice cream shop. Trunks let the kids get the biggest sundae and watched them eat it, both getting more of it on their face and shirt than what they were eating. “Oh, your moms are gonna kill me,” he laughed.

 

##########

 

Saturday morning came and Dorian was the first one up.

He took a bath without complaint, ate all his breakfast that Ikuko made for him, and packed his backpack with stuff to show his dad while they were out. Usagi wanted to wait with Dorian until Mamoru arrived, but she was called in to work for an important meeting and had to leave.

Three hours after Mamoru was supposed to be there, the phone rang. Minako didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know who it was. She didn’t even have to answer the phone to know what that despicable excuse of a man was going to say.

“Tsukino residence,” Ikuko said, picking up the phone. “One moment, please. Dorian, it’s your dad.”

Dorian ran inside from his spot on the porch steps where Minako had watched him helplessly for the last hour. “Hey dad! Are you okay? Are you on your way?”

“Hey buddy. I hate to do this but my meetings are running late. I’m not going to be able to come out and see you today like we planned,” Mamoru said. Minako was listening from an extension and could hear the giggling and conversation in the background. Her bullshit-o-meter going off like crazy. “Maybe we can do it another time.”

“Yeah sure,” Dorian said, trying not to cry. “Maybe next time.”

“I’m sorry, kiddo.”

_Sure you are._ Minako was ready to start yelling at him for breaking his son’s heart AGAIN, but refrained. Dorian hung up the phone, threw it on the couch and ran up the stairs, slamming the door to his room. Mina left him be to cry, scream, or do whatever it was that Dorian did when Mamoru messed up.

Usagi returned about an hour later. Minako met her at the porch, enjoying a cup of tea. “So guess what happened.”

“You’re kidding,” she sighed angrily. “Why am I not surprised? Where’s Dorian?”

“In his room.”

Usagi massaged her temple and went inside the house and up the stairs to talk to her son. “Dorian? Baby, are you okay?”

“Dad’s a jerk,” Dorian said, laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling.

“While I don’t disagree with you, you shouldn’t think that way about him, sweetheart. He’s your dad.”

“Dad makes promises he can’t keep. I wish Captain Trunks was my dad.”

Usagi was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I can’t help who your dad is, but I can help turn that smile upside down. We can go to Trunk’s Guest Day now.”

“But we already told him that we couldn’t make it.”

“I’ll call him. I bet there’s still time to do everything he wanted to do.”

Dorian’s frown turned around and he hugged his mother tight. In a matter of minutes they were in the car headed to Orange Air Force Base. Usagi called him from the gate. He had been laying in his bed, even Goten couldn’t get him to come out and have a burger with the family. He wasn’t even going to pick up the phone when it rang. But Usagi’s smiling face appeared on the screen and he lunged for the phone.

“Usagi? What’s up?” he asked, hastily driving into his closet to get his clothes.

“The guys at the gate won’t let me in without a pass or an escort,” Usagi said.

“Do you see the brick building with a fence to the left of the guard station? “ Trunks asked, falling backwards while putting on his boots.

“Yeah. Is everything alright?” she asked, hearing the crash in the background.

“Just dropped my boots,” Trunks said. “Go park over by the building and I’ll get it covered. Go inside and talk to Launch. She’ll get you covered.”

Trunks hung up the phone and threw his jacket on. He tapped out the number to the visitor’s center and hoped the right person was at the desk. “Launch? Hey, it’s Captain Trunks Briefs from the 5016rd. Hey, could you do me a huge favor? My girlfriend –“ the girl on the other side of the phone shrieked loudly enough that he had to pull the phone from his ear to keep from going deaf. “Yeah, yeah. I know. But hey, she’s having a hard time getting on base. Could you draw up some quick passes for me? I’ll owe you one.”

Launch, the young wife of his company’s clerk, would do anything to help Trunks. Especially after he helped her husband get his job and promotion. She grabbed the papers she needed just as Usagi and her son walked into the office.

“Hi, can I help you?” Launch asked.

“Hello. Yes, Captain Trunks Briefs told me to speak to Launch about some visitor passes.”

“Oh, I’m Launch,” she smiled. “Come over here and we’ll get you figured out.”

Trunks caught a Jeep headed to the gate and slid into the visitor center. Adjusting his hat and jacket, he came around the corner to see his two favorite people, aside from the other three favorite people he saw all the time.

“Captain Trunks!” Dorian shouted, running over to him.

“Launch, they’re with me,” Trunks said. “You can put that on their paperwork and include that they are continuous guests and are allowed on base.”

Launch nodded and wrote down Trunks’ name and rank on the paperwork. Trunks wrote his serial number and signed all the pages. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go see the base.”

The three of them walked out the door and back to Usagi’s car. She let him drive as she had no idea where she was supposed to go. While he was driving, Trunks pointed out the different buildings to Dorian.

“That over there is the helicopter hangar,” Trunks said. “Mine is housed in there when we’re on base.”

“What do you do when you’re not running missions?” Dorian asked.

“Well, I also teach helicopter mechanics and make sure everything is working perfectly in the one Goten and I use. We have to run daily checks of all the equipment we use while overseas,” Trunks said. “I also have other official duties I have to do as an officer, but it’s mainly a bunch of boring paperwork. What I really love to do is flying.”

“How did you become an officer?” Usagi asked.

“ROTC, college, and flight school,” Trunks answered. “It wasn’t easy, but I’d do it again.”

Trunks parked the car outside his barracks, next to his truck. Usagi got out of the car and Trunks hoists up Dorian onto his shoulders. “You wanna hit the hangers and see all the planes and helicopters?”

“Can I go for a ride in one too?” Dorian asked.

“No,no. I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Usagi said.

“Don’t worry about it, “ Trunks said. “I think I might be able to take you around in a tank.”

“Right, that’s even better!” Usagi snorted.

There were dozens of people in a shaded park in the center area of the base, and the Son’s waved to them as they got closer. Rei greeted Usagi with a hug, thankful that they had managed to make it.

“You know Usagi,” Rei said, pulling her aside after the boys had taken off to look at the tanks and the things that explode. “I have known Goten and Trunks for a long time and this is honestly the happiest he’s been in years. I am very thankful that Dorian was given his name to write to on their class assignment.”

“You know what,” Usagi smiled. “I am too.”

Rei lead her to an empty table so they could sit.

“Has Trunks told you much about his family?” Rei asked.

“Not really,” Usagi shook her head. “He’s not a big sharer. He did mention he’s on his own. He told us he doesn’t have any family left, except for you and Goten.”

“He didn’t have the best childhood, there was a lot going on home and he bounced around a few friends’ homes. He lived with Goten and his family for some time too, I think it was until graduation,” Rei sighed sadly. “All he knows is the Air Force. But he is the most caring, selfless guy you could ever meet. I’m sure you know that.”

“I do. He’s great. But Rei, I’m not looking to be with anyone right now. After everything I went through after my divorce, I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do and be before I get with anyone again. I have to think of my kids and what’s best for them first.”

Rei was quiet for a minute. “They broke the mold when Trunks Briefs was created,” she said. “And I’m not saying that because he’s my friend, I’m just being completely honest with you. Talk to anyone in his squad and you’ll see what I mean. You know their clerk, Tien? He made sure he was able to get home in time to see his son be born. He’s moved his own leaves around many times so Goten could come home instead of him,” she paused. “Once you’re in Trunk’s life, you’re there forever.”

“Yeah,” Usagi sighed. “I’m starting to see that.”

 

##########

 

The sun was going down and a local band started up. Hiro and Dorian were playing on the playground with other kids while the grownups were talking. Usagi’s eyes were getting droopy as the heat of the day had gotten to her.

Rei stood up and held her hand to her husband. “Dance with me Captain Son,” she said.

“As you wish, milady.”

Trunks looked over at Usagi. “Would you like to dance?”

Her earlier conversation with Rei going out the window, she stood up and he held his hand to her. “I’d love to.”

Trunks smiled as he held her close during a slow song. _This was exactly what he was missing._

Dorian ran by with a group of kids he had made friends with and stopped when he saw his mom dancing with Captain Trunks. He had a big smile on his face.

Usagi could hear Trunks’ heart pounding in his chest. She liked the way his arms felt wrapped around her waist. She looked up at him and saw the look on his face. And she was lost.

 

##########

 

Trunks offered to let them stay the night once it got dark, but Usagi needed to get home to her baby. Minako and Ikuko were taking care of her and neither Dorian nor she had clean clothes to change. Trunks offered to get them whatever they needed but Usagi, not trusting herself to stay the night with him, said they should be getting home soon. She took Dorian down to the car and helped him settle in.

“I want to see you again,” Trunks said softly, tucking a lock of her hair out of her face. “Just you, Usagi. Let me take you to dinner and show you I can treat you better than Mamoru ever did.”


	6. The First Date in a Long Time

“He said what!?” Minako exclaimed, staring at her sister over a morning cup of coffee.

Usagi set her coffee cup down on the table and let out an annoyed sighed. “I want to see you again. Just you. Let me take you to dinner and show you I can treat you better than Mamoru ever did,” she said, for the eleventh time since she got home the night before.

“Alright, and let me get this straight. All you said was ‘Thank you’?” she shook her head. “What is wrong with you?!”

“I don’t know, okay? I panicked. It was stupid, I know, I know,” she groaned. “He probably thinks I’m a crazy person.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that, sis. But seriously, you said thank you?” Minako laughed again, making Usagi feel even more uneasy.

##########

“She said what?” Goten asked, much calmer than Minako when she found out.

“Thank you,” Trunks said, rounding a corner on their morning run. “I pour my heart out and all she said was ‘thank you’!”

Goten laughed. “You sure know how to pick your girls.”

“Alright, don’t lump Usagi with the others,” he warned him. “Trust me, they are nothing alike.”

“You’re right, sorry. But she really said ‘Thank you’?”

##########

“Fine, so what are you going to do then?” Minako asked, opening the door for Dorian to go outside and play.

“Well,” Usagi carefully thought about her words. “I have to call him, that’s for sure.”

“You sure do.”

“But I don’t even know what to say to him. After what happened,” she paused for a second. “You know I’ve never been good at this kind of stuff.”

“Tell you what,” Minako sat down next to her. “If you want to go over and talk to him face to face, I can watch the kids for you,” she winked. “You really can’t leave this hanging out there.”

Usagi gave her a worried look. “Alright then,” she nodded. “After lunch.”

##########

“So what are you gonna do?” Goten asked when they stopped to cool down.

“I don’t know, man. I put myself out there and she froze. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now, but I don’t want to pressure her or anything.”

“Well,” he said, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I’d say the ball is in her court now. You should let her come to you.”

Trunks looked toward the gate. Launch made sure that Usagi and her kids have full access to the base if they wanted to drop by and visit. He was sure that as their sponsor, and his good standing, there shouldn’t be any issues if that happened.

“Yeah, I guess that’s the way to go then.”

##########

After lunch Usagi took a shower, did her hair and put on a little bit of make up to ease up her nerves. She put on a nice summer dress, and took a quick glance at her reflection. It was definitely the dressiest she’d been since meeting Trunks. She would usually wear jeans and shirts or a blouse when she was with him.

Now that she thought about it, she felt overdressed and started to reach for something a little more comfortable when Minako stuck her head in the room.

“Don’t you dare change,” she said. “You look gorgeous.”

Usagi smiled nervously. “Are you sure you don’t mind watching the kids for a little while?” she asked. She was so used to putting her babies first, it felt so strange to be doing something for herself.

“Oh will you get going already?” Minako pushed her sister out of the bedroom and towards the stairs. “Just get in the car and drive to the base. Do not stop, do not detour, do enjoy yourself, okay?”

“Alright, alright,” she shook her head and giggled a little. “Thank you.”

Usagi got in the car and sat for a moment before turning the key and taking off. It was a good twenty minute drive to the Orange Air Force Base on a normal day, but that day Usagi hit every single light. This gave her time to think about what she was going to say to Trunks when she got there.

She pulled up to the gate and gave her pass. She drove onto the base and wound her way to the officer’s barracks. She smiled when she noticed Trunks’ Jeep was parked in the same spot it was the day before and she pulled into the visitor’s spot. She turned off the car and took a deep breath before she got out.

Once out of the car, she took another deep breath before walking towards his door. She knocked twice and waited, taking another deep breath for good measure.

Trunks opened the door wearing nothing more than his sweats. “Usagi, hey. What-What are you doing here?” he asked, instantly gesturing for her to come inside. “Is everything alright?” he asked, closing the door behind her and frantically looking for any shirt available.

She took a deep breath again. “I’ve never been the kind of girl that knew what to do when in a relationship,” she said quickly. “I mean, I’m very awkward and I never know what to say. I have no idea what I want, who I want to be, or who I want to be with.”

Trunks stood in front of her, watching her as she spoke. He took her hands in his and smiled halfheartedly when she finished. “Usa,” he said. “We’ll jump off that bridge when we come to it, okay.” He carefully cupped her chin, gently pressing his lips to hers.

Usagi gasped softly. She wound her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss once her back was against the wall. Trunks suddenly swept her off her feet, carrying her towards his bedroom. His lips never leaving hers.

“Wait, Trunks,” Usagi said, pulling back. “Wait, wait.”

Trunks could feel her trembling in his arms. “Usa,” he said. “How I want to love you, my dear Usagi. Please let me,” he touched his forehead to her and smiled. “You deserve so much more than what you’ve been given.”

“Trunks,” she sighed, kissing his cheek. “Just wait. Take me to dinner first.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said, setting her back down. “Got a little carried away there.”

“I-I don’t mind,” Usagi said, nervously looking down at her feet. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been kissed that way,” she admitted.

“Let me get out of these old rags and I’ll take you on a proper date,” he said, placing a chaste kiss on her lips before going into his room and quickly changing into a nice pair of jeans and a button down shirt.

While he was changing, Usagi was snooping at the photographs hung around his room. They were mostly of Goten, Rei and Hiro. The four of them posed in front of several places across the country. Places Usagi only ever dreamed about going. Mamoru was never one to travel with his family and said that there was no need to go to other places when everything they could ever want was already there at arms reach.

“You ready?” Trunks asked, coming up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“You’ve been to so many places,” she said. “I’m a little jealous.”

He smiled lovingly. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. You and the kids.”

They walked together out of his apartment and down to Trunks’ Jeep. He opened the door for her and waited for her to get comfortable before closing it. They drove out of the base towards town. He picked a small Italian restaurant she’d never been to before, and asked for a table on their garden.

“I’ve never been here before,” she said, delighted to see how beautiful the quiet garden looked, admiring the strand of lights hanging around. “I usually just go to family friendly places.”

“You’ll love this place, trust me,” he said, pulling out her chair and helping her adjust it before sitting down himself.

Usagi opened the menu and out of habit, her eyes instantly went looking for the kid’s menu. It took her a minute to remember where she was and that she didn’t need to worry about that.

The server came up to the table and he ordered a bottle of red wine.

He reached over the table and took her hand. “Relax,” he whispered. “It’s just me.”

“I haven’t been on a date in ten years,” she laughed nervously. “This is all so new for me. When did you started dating after your last relationship?”

“Today,” he said, gently squeezing her hand.

Their server came back with the bottle of wine, and they ordered their food.

“There is something I need to ask you before, you know, before anything else happens,” she said once they were alone again.

“What is it, Usagi?”

“Well, what happens when you have to leave again? Do we stay together or we break up? And what about Dorian? You’ve been such a wonderful addition to his life, I really don’t want him to lose that.”

“And he won’t. My relationship with Dorian is very different than what I want to have with you, Usa. No matter what happens, Dorian will be my buddy and that’s what you want that’s what he’ll stay.”

“What about me?”

“Usagi, I’m not going anywhere. If anything, deployment is months away.”

“Okay.”

Their meal came some time later, and Usagi smiled as what she ordered looked as delicious as it sounded. This was very different than what she was used to. Mamoru would have ordered for her and would have made sure she ate everything, even if she didn’t like it. He didn’t like wasting money or time, which is why Usagi never branched out when they would eat out. She dipped her fork into her pasta, scooping up a bite and putting it in her mouth. It was the most delicious thing she had in a while.

“This is so good,” she smiled, scooping another bite.

“I’m glad you like it,” Trunks said, watching her relax even more.

With their meal paid for and digesting, they took a walk around the park that was near the restaurant. Usagi entwined her small hand in Trunks’ and sighed contentedly. For the first time in god knows how long, she was happy. “Yesterday was terrible for Dorian, but you managed to save the day. No wonder Dorian calls you a superhero.”

“You know I’d do anything for that kid, and you and little Usa too,” he said, gently kissing her forehead as they continued their stroll around the park.

##########

Back on base, Usagi was reluctant to leave. She didn’t want to go back home and face Minako and her never ending questions. She wanted to relax and feel at home with Trunks. He made her feel so safe, she just wasn’t ready to give it up just yet.

The pair sat down on the couch in the open space of Trunks’ apartment. She curled into his side as they sat in a comfortable silence. The clock on the wall was reminding her that it was past dinnertime at her house and she had never missed dinner with her children. Ever.

“I should get doing,” she said. “I already missed dinner with my kids, and I’ve never done that before.”

“Okay,” Trunks yawned. “Five more minutes?”

“No, no more minutes. I have to go, Trunks. You know my kids come first.”

Trunks nodded in understanding. “I’ll walk you out.”

They stood up and Trunks took her hand. They walked down to her car and he opened the door for her. “Dorian’s game is at 4 pm on Wednesday, don’t forget.”

“I won’t, it’s already in my calendar.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Please don’t leave,” he whispered once their kiss deepened.

“I have to,” she said. “I promise I’ll be back.”

He closed her car door and watched her drive off. It wouldn’t take long before Goten would call him over for the nightly game of pool. He wouldn’t tell him about his afternoon, simply because he wanted to keep it to himself for a bit longer. He wanted to dwell on how wonderful Usagi tasted, and the way she felt in his arms.

Wednesday was going to take forever to get there.

##########

“Well, well,” Minako said as soon as she saw her sister walk in the house. “You certainly were gone a long time. Care to share?”

“There’s nothing to share,” Usagi said with a shy smile. “We had a lovely meal and took a walk.”

“A walk? Hold on, is that code for something?”

“Yes, it’s code for we took a walk.”

“Huh, sure it is,” Minako eyed her suspiciously.

Usagi walked up to her room to change out of her clothes. She thought back to the way Trunks swept her off her feet, and how she felt in his big arms. She nervously bit her lower lip thinking about the way he looked when he opened his door and the surprised look on his face when he saw her. She kept a smile on her face for the rest of the night and all through the next day.

Minako tried getting some sort of information out of her to no avail, and all she could think about was what would have happened if she hadn’t stopped him. Or if she hadn’t left after he asked her to stay.


End file.
